Major issues during the 2014 legislative session include creating a new budget, a pay raise for teachers, Common Core and banning legislators from serving as lobbyists immediately following their departure.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/01/seven_issues_to_watch_in_the_2.html ''blog.al.com'', "Seven issues to watch in the 2014 legislative session," January 12, 2014]</ref>

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Major issues during the 2014 legislative session include creating a new budget, a pay raise for teachers, [[Common Core]] and banning legislators from serving as lobbyists immediately following their departure.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/01/seven_issues_to_watch_in_the_2.html ''blog.al.com'', "Seven issues to watch in the 2014 legislative session," January 12, 2014]</ref>

The criteria for senators under Article IV, Section 47, of the Alabama Constitution include: at least 25 years of age at the time of their election, a citizen and resident of the State of Alabama for at least 3 years, and resident of their district for at least one year prior to election.

The Alabama Legislature convenes in regular annual sessions on the first Tuesday in February, except during the first year of the four-year term, when the session begins on the first Tuesday in March. In the last year of a four-year term, the legislative session begins on the second Tuesday in January. The length of the regular session is limited to 30 meeting days within a period of 105 calendar days. There are usually two meeting or "legislative" days per week, with other days devoted to committee meetings.

The Governor of Alabama can call, by proclamation, special sessions of the Alabama legislature. The governor must list the subjects on which legislation will be debated upon. These sessions are limited to 12 legislative days within a 30 calendar day span. In a regular session, bills may be enacted on any subject. In a special session, legislation must be enacted only on those subjects which the governor announces on their proclamation or "call." Anything not in the "call" requires a two-thirds vote of each house to be enacted.[5]

Bills can be prefiled before sessions, starting at the end of the previous session and ending at the beginning of the session for which they are being filed. The exception to this is for sessions beginning in March every 4 years.[6]

2014

In 2014, the Legislature will be in session from January 14 through April 15.

Major issues

Major issues during the 2014 legislative session include creating a new budget, a pay raise for teachers, Common Core and banning legislators from serving as lobbyists immediately following their departure.[7]

2013

In 2013, the Legislature was in session from February 5 through May 20.

Major issues

Major issues during the 2013 legislative session included the general fund, maintaining Medicaid, raises for teachers, giving schools more flexibility over state policies, and gun laws.[8] Heading into the session, the general fund was estimated to be $200 million short of requests.

Elections

2014

Elections for the office of Alabama State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on July 15, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014.

2002

Elections for the office of Alabama State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 6, 2002 and a general election on November 7, 2002.

During the 2002 election, the total contributions to Senate candidates was $15,536,155. The top 10 contributors were:[14]

2002 Donors, Alabama State Senate

Donor

Amount

Business Council of Alabama

$1,309,594

Alabama Education Association

$1,134,352

Medical Association of the State of Alabama

$499,242

Alabama Democratic Party

$477,761

Alabama Trial Lawyers Association

$425,000

Leader PAC

$373,000

Alabama Farmers Federation

$321,582

Alabama State Employees Association

$261,250

Alabama Power CO

$229,250

Uburn Trustee Improvement

$206,500

Qualifications

Under Article IV, Section 47, of the Alabama Constitution, senators must be at least 25 years of age at the time of their election, must be citizens and residents of the State of Alabama for at least 3 years and residents of their district at least one year prior to election.[15]

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the Senate, a special election must be conducted in order to fill the vacant seat. The Governor must call for a special election if the vacancy happened before next scheduled general election and the Senate is in session.[16]The Governor has all discretion in setting the date of the election along with nominating deadlines.[17]

Redistricting

The Alabama Legislative Committee on Reapportionment is responsible for drafting plans for redistricting in the state House and Senate.

2010 census

Census date was shipped to Alabama on February 23, 2011. The state population increased by over 300,000 residents (~7.5%).[18] 2011 was the first year in which the state's redistricting process was done using a GIS online platform.[19] The legislative maps, however, were not worked on until May 2012, and Republicans were in charge of the process for the first time since Reconstruction. Maps for both chambers were passed in a controversial special session, in which a final vote was taken in the Senate without a reading of the bill originated in the House. Soon after the plan passed in the Senate, the House approved the new plan. It next went to Gov. Robert Bentley (R) for his signature, and then had to be approved by the U.S. Justice Department.[20]

Senators

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Alabama State Senate from 1992-2013.

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor serves as President of the Senate, but can only vote in the event of a tie. The President Pro Tempore is elected from the Senate membership during each organizational session and serves in the absence of the President of the Senate as well leader of the Senate and majority party.[21][22]

Partisan balance 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Alabama State Senate for 19 years while the Republicans were the majority for three years. The Alabama State Senate is 1 of 16 state senates that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. However, starting with the Alabama State Senate elections in 2010, both legislative chambers took a turn toward the Republican side. Since Alabamans have elected Republican governors since November 2002, the state as of the November 2010 and 2012 elections has had a Republican trifecta.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Alabama state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Between the years 1993-1994 and 1999-2002, Alabama had Democratic trifectas, and since 2011, Alabama has had a Republican trifecta. In every remaining year between 1992 and 2012, Alabama had a Republican governor with a Democratic legislature. In every year of the study, Alabama ranked in the bottom-10 on the SQLI ranking. Its lowest ranking occurred during the Democratic trifectas of 1999 and 2000 (46th), while the state’s highest ranking occurred during the divided government years of 2005 and 2006 (41st).

SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 44.33

SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 43.50

SQLI average with divided government: 42.83

Chart displaying the partisanship of Alabama government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).